Althouse: At the Protest Dog Café...

April 9, 2011

At the Protest Dog Café...

... unmuzzle and yelp.

58 comments:

Unknown said...: I was going to say...

the dog is muzzled.

Fascinating image in the context of the event.; 4/9/11, 9:36 AM
m stone said...: Madison's version of the Swiss Guard stands by. Poop patrol?; 4/9/11, 9:41 AM
Ann Althouse said...: It's actually not a muzzle on that dog.; 4/9/11, 9:42 AM
Phil 314 said...: Obviously a vicious dog. It requires not only a muzzle, but a paramedic. Note the older guy with the "cowboy" hat in the background. He appears very anxious/suspicious of the whole thing.

Finally, isn't it good to see that throughout it all, someone figures out how to make a buck off of the protests:

Buy one of my buttons!

Surely, there's a T-shirt salesman someone (maybe even selling the Glenn Reynolds "abortion" model); 4/9/11, 9:43 AM
lemondog said...: Not a muzzle. I believe it's used to exercise greater control of Fido.; 4/9/11, 9:49 AM
RimrockR said...: The doggie is actually sporting a Gentle Leader. It is used to control a dog who pulls on the leash by putting firm pressure on the top of their muzzle (the anatomical feature). Using it is a substitute to either having your arm pulled off by your dog or to providing proper no-pull training. If only the some of the protesters would mind the action of their own internal gentle leader (their conscience) before being unpleasant to their fellow humans.; 4/9/11, 9:53 AM
El Presidente said...: Clearly the dog is being led around by the nose.; 4/9/11, 9:54 AM
El Presidente said...: Gentle Leader!; 4/9/11, 9:54 AM
traditionalguy said...: I for one am happy to see the dogs of public protest finally muzzled. Good job Meade, and camera assistant/editor. Prosser owes you bothj both a debt of gratitude.; 4/9/11, 10:17 AM
Irene said...: The dog is a Walker plant because he is fan of the "Gentle Leader."; 4/9/11, 10:38 AM
David said...: Libs should not bring dogs to protests. It will remind people of Obama, who can not even control his own dog.

WV = labdogi (Not making that up.); 4/9/11, 10:38 AM
Phil 314 said...: Gentle Leader!

Dear Leader; 4/9/11, 10:47 AM
Clyde said...: And only one visible tree to pee on! I'm sure that dog has a viable lawsuit involving equal access to restroom facilities... And I suspect that Madison is the sort of place where it might be filed.; 4/9/11, 10:48 AM
Unknown said...: The effect is the same.

Irene said...

The dog is a Walker plant because he is fan of the "Gentle Leader."

Precisely.; 4/9/11, 10:50 AM
David said...: Here's what I protest:

A citizen of the United States tells the President of the United States that the citizen can't afford the high price of gasoline.

The President of the United States tells the citizen to spend $40,000 on a new car.; 4/9/11, 10:53 AM
Irene said...: From which restaurant do you think that the guy in the chef jacket emerged?

Maybe we could boycott the place.; 4/9/11, 11:01 AM
rhhardin said...: It takes about 10 seconds to train a dog not to pull.; 4/9/11, 11:05 AM
lemondog said...: Cry havoc and let slip the dogs of war

Well somebody had to say it.....; 4/9/11, 11:23 AM
Bayoneteer said...: Look at that shameless profiteer selling buttons there in the background. I hope he is giving a percentage of his obscene profits to some worthy cause.; 4/9/11, 11:35 AM
Christy said...: What an unfortunate picture. When I enlarged it to see the not-a-muzzle, I caught sight of that woman's chin. Poor dear.; 4/9/11, 11:58 AM
Rob said...: Heh, the picture just reminds me of the previous "dogmocracy" note which made me laugh. I admit it also makes me chuckle whenever the protesters get out the blue fists with stars. As I have said before, if you really want to make yourself popular with the general public, stick with images such as those. Really. Please.; 4/9/11, 1:33 PM
Rob said...: P.S.- The chin on the gal is just a product of the camera angle. Drew Barrymore has the same chin and she stars in romantic comedies.; 4/9/11, 1:38 PM
lemondog said...: re: chin,

(1) may be why the pup has the lead around mouth, that is, to prevent him from laughing outright,

(2) is the Red Cross close at hand to give aid in the event of her tipping forward?

BTW, that pup has a real surly look on his face.; 4/9/11, 1:47 PM
lemondog said...: P.S.- The chin on the gal is just a product of the camera angle.

Or she might be sporting a white-colored goatee.

Meade needs to clarify this .... point.; 4/9/11, 1:52 PM
Alex said...: Poor dog, it doesn't know its owner is a lefty douchebag.; 4/9/11, 2:00 PM
Triangle Man said...: It takes about 10 seconds to train a dog not to pull.

Yeah, but how long before the dog remembers not to pull?; 4/9/11, 2:14 PM
Anonymous said...: Barry did it, I didn't know....cack!

"Obama Victory Lap at Lincoln Memorial"

Beaming with enthusiasm, President Obama surprised tourists with an appearance at the Lincoln Memorial Saturday afternoon. He was there to make the point that places such as the Lincoln Memorial are open today because The White House and House Republicans reached a budget agreement keeping the government open.

"Because Congress was able to settle its differences that's why this place is open today and everybody’s able to enjoy their visit," Obama told visitors.

"And that's the kind of future cooperation I hope we have going forward ‘cause this is what America is all about - everybody from different places enjoying those things that bind us together," he added.; 4/9/11, 4:13 PM
dbp said...: I wonder why the old guy with a fedora and cup of coffee is scowling? Is the coffee too hot or too cold? Or did he see something that makes him mad?; 4/9/11, 4:52 PM
dbp said...: Actually, he is looking right at the camera! Wow! he is really giving either Althouse or Meade the stink eye.; 4/9/11, 4:56 PM
the traveler said...: It's not a muzzle. It's a Gentle Leader or Halti collar, which guides the dog's head in the direction you want it to go. Prevents tugging.; 4/9/11, 5:36 PM
Kurt said...: Actually, it's not surprise to see a gentle leader on a lefty protestor's dog in Madison. One of the many weird things about the world we live in is that the political divide extends to the world of dog training. The "gentle leader" is a bit of marketing genius that has been sold quite effectively to folks who worry endlessly about the negative effects of training on their dogs' psyches. There's no evidence that the "gentle leader" is actually any more gentle than other kinds of training tools, and in fact, if you've ever tried using one, you quickly realize that most dogs hate having to wear them, and will often fight and struggle against them, even to the point of scratching at them, even if they make themselves bleed.; 4/9/11, 5:45 PM
Irene said...: Kurt, you are correct: the "Gentle Leader" is stuff white people like.; 4/9/11, 6:10 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Are choke chains considered cruel now? They were the going thing at dog obedience school when I was growing up.

You didn't actually go around choking the dog; the choke chain would tighten on the dog's neck if the dog pulled and loosen when the dog stopped pulling.

Unsurprisingly, our dogs that went to obedience school didn't pull.

Rhhardin, how do you do it?; 4/9/11, 10:18 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: How is having a bunch of straps wrapped around the dog's face "gentle?"; 4/9/11, 10:20 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: One more choke chain detail I forgot: you taught the dog not to pull by giving a little flick of the wrist whenever it did. That tightened the chain for a split second, supposedly like a tiny pellet of negative reinforcement to make the dog associate pulling with discomfort.; 4/9/11, 10:24 PM
reader_iam said...: Just for fun, despite being totally OT (if there'd been a cafe post tonight, I'd've put it there, but there isn't, so this is a settling-for):

gotta girl, for example; 4/9/11, 10:39 PM
Almost Ali said...: Today they're using Taser collars. The beautiful girl across the street used one to control her husband's bull mastiff - that poor dog was tased until he didn't know up from down.

So, I had a word with her husband, not about his beautiful wife, but about the taser collar. To his credit, he subsequently gave the dog away. Because if I heard that dog scream in agony one more time...; 4/9/11, 10:44 PM
reader_iam said...: How is having a bunch of straps wrapped around the dog's face "gentle?"

It depends on what alternative against which you're comparing it, of course.

I'm sure you know that, Freeman--especially in larger terms and context.

: )

wv: wings

Really: That's what it is.; 4/9/11, 10:45 PM
Irene said...: @Freeman, the choke chain method you described--with the flick of the wrist--is how I taught my first and second poodles not to pull. The trainer had Dobermans and Shepherds.

The third and fourth dogs went to an obedience "school" that rejected the choke chain method. It was a soft place run by a Madison-area dog celeb.

First method worked much better.; 4/9/11, 10:46 PM
reader_iam said...: Irene: Were the third and fourth dogs also poodles? Sorry--can't help myself: Based on how you wrote your comment, it was the very first question that jumped to mind.

: ); 4/9/11, 10:53 PM
Harsh Pencil said...: I tried the gentle leader on my (now) 95 lb (absolutely beautiful) black labrador retriever. He hated it. Didn't work. He also hated the choke chain. For about 30 seconds. Once he got used to it, he heels great and the chain hangs loose around his neck, without a bit of pressure. There is simply nothing cruel about a choke chain.; 4/9/11, 10:59 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: I'm not a dog, but were I a dog, give me the loose chain that is only uncomfortable when I pull and leaves me with some kind of autonomy over little straps wrapped around my face that turn me into a dog head puppet.

But then, maybe actual dogs feel differently about it.; 4/9/11, 11:04 PM
reader_iam said...: If I felt I needed to use a taser on a pet, I would not welcome that pet into my family. (Other people's situations are different, and I respect that, assuming they are humane, knowledgeable and don't have some sort of weird-ass quirk they feel free to play out on the backs of captive "pets."); 4/9/11, 11:04 PM
reader_iam said...: Freeman: You do know that some dogs are more sensitive around their heads (and among those that are, the specific points differ), others are more sensitive around their hinds, others more sensitive under what we humans would call the "pits" under the front legs, and so forth, etc. etc. etc.?

One size really, really doesn't fit all. Even in terms of dogs.; 4/9/11, 11:09 PM
Irene said...: @reader, all my dogs have been Miniature Poodles.; 4/9/11, 11:13 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Your unintentionally hilarious link for the day:

Dumpster diving for organic food because the food stamps and WIC won't cover enough of that to feed the family.; 4/9/11, 11:15 PM
Irene said...: I also think of the third and fourth poodles most often as "dogs" first, poodles second, because they are both males.; 4/9/11, 11:15 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: If I felt I needed to use a taser on a pet, I would not welcome that pet into my family.

Same.

I'll take that bar even higher: If I don't think I can best a pet with my bare hands, I don't want it for a pet. (This to solve the "pet goes crazy, attacks the children" scenario.); 4/9/11, 11:23 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Dumpster diver loves her iPhone though.

People on WIC and food stamps are walking around with iPhone data plans now? #notcheap; 4/9/11, 11:28 PM
reader_iam said...: @ Freeman:

Exactly. Never forget, as I think I've pointed out before at least a few times online since entering the blogosphere, that I was mauled by a German Shepherd as a very young child (which meant that after the initial scores of stitches, three plastic surgeries followed even before I entered grade school).

I am, indeed, quite mindful, and of so many things, and in so many areas, when it comes to embracing dogs into one's life. I'm also careful and distinguishing anbout all of that...

That said...

I now love dogs. It was a hard-fought thing to get to that place, but having reached it, it's true: I. Love. Dogs. They love me, and I'm really good at reaching them, especially previously abused ones. (Go figure: WTF?!!!)

And I've lived continuously with them--the purebred, the half-breed, the mutt; the easy, the difficult; the scary and the deceptively sweet--for a couple of decades now.

I consider that an achievement, myself. At least for myself.; 4/9/11, 11:48 PM
Freeman Hunt said...: Reader,

That's right. It had somehow slipped my mind for the last several moments about the German Shepard. I remember you mentioning that now.

From there to being a dog person. That's quite the journey. Unsurprising then that you can take a dog bedeviled by people and turn it into a person dog. :); 4/9/11, 11:55 PM
Irene said...: @reader, an achievement it is, and you described it so tenderly.; 4/9/11, 11:56 PM
Alex said...: People on WIC and food stamps are walking around with iPhone data plans now?

Yeah I would REALLY like to know how they swing that.; 4/10/11, 12:01 AM
Alex said...: Of course when the GOP introduces a bill to ban any iPhone subsidies, the left will cry that it's a cheap shot at the "poor".; 4/10/11, 12:01 AM
Ralph L said...: Unsurprisingly, our dogs that went to obedience school didn't pull.
Rhhardin, how do you do it?
No amount of training will stop a man from pulling his leash when he wants to.; 4/10/11, 1:13 AM
reader_iam said...: Given another 20 years, I might actually bring myself to properly spell the breed of dog who attacked me (and which purebred I can't bring myself to welcome into my home, even now)...

Freeman: Your point (and by this one, I mean the other one, having already acknowledged the spelling one) is well taken, and so I do take it. I will keep it in mind. It's a good one.

Irene: Thanks.; 4/10/11, 1:18 AM
Kurt said...: Regarding the discussion over choke chains, gentle leaders and whatnot, what I didn't say in my previous comment is that I use a prong collar with my spirited retriever mix, who is a natural hunter and is therefore inclined to pull. The prong collar is usually condemned as a cruel torture device by people who know nothing about it, but it's actually quite effective, and while it's uncomfortable to the dog when it engages, it's actually less painful and much less potentially harmful than a choke chain. I started using the prong collar after the trainer in my first obedience class recommended it since my dog wasn't really responding to the choke chain method. While I think I might learn more about handling my dog from another trainer, it is a huge challenge to find trainers in my area who don't advocate the use of the gentle leader over the traditional chain or the prong collar.; 4/10/11, 1:29 AM
Toad Trend said...: The lines from 'Billy Elliott' keep replaying in my mind....'Solidarity, solidarity...solidarity, forever!'

It just doesn't have the same meaning without the young dancing-phenom involved here in Wisconsin. Instead, we see children and dogs used as props.

Hardly the stuff of convincing anyone that a small minority of cult-like union members deserve the privilege of 'bargaining' against the very people that pay their salaries.; 4/10/11, 6:54 AM

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